The Rise And Fall Of Spamton G. Spamton

Chapter 9

Lyle laughs, leaning against his shop as he shared bagels with Rose and Ranger. He'd been thinking a lot about his friend this morning, how he had so aggressively stopped Paz from turning off the light. I guess he's really afraid of the dark. I think he mentioned it once before... Poor guy. He was almost too occupied with his thoughts to realize that Ranger was talking to him.

"Do you think we should bring Spamton some bagels? Has he eaten anything other than spaghetti and burgers and tea?" Ranger asks, considering the bagel in his hand. Rose hums, tapping her finger against her bagel in thought. Crumbs dusted the ground as she did so.

"It wouldn't hurt, would it? Although... I'm not sure how I feel about buying bagels for so much, especially considering who we got them from." The pink Addison mused, remembering the trio of vigilantes that had come up to them playing cheesy music and heckling about the price. Lyle giggles, shaking his head.

"Oh I don't know, they're not so bad. They seemed pretty chill." Lyle reasons, talking with his hands as he waved his bagel around. Ranger hums, taking another bite of his bagel; which crunched loudly and played some quiet music. Rose sighs, dipping her head in thought. She couldn't just ignore what had happened last night.

"Are we not going to talk about that fiasco with the nightlight? That was f*cking weird." She blurted, catching Lyle and Ranger by surprise. Ranger winced at her language, but decided not to comment, simply staring down at the ground. Whether Ranger and Lyle liked it or not, it was incredibly strange how Spamton reacted. Lyle almost swore what he said after that was a lie. Bumping the night light... You'd think he would be more careful about that if he was scared of the dark. "Makes you wonder about him, doesn't it?" Rose asks, her tone low and suggesting. Lyle swallowed, his heart dropping to his stomach.

There's an elephant that follows Spamton wherever he goes. Why the hell is he here? Only Rose and I truly knew what he was, a mannequin come to life... Indy suspects it, but I can't be sure if he truly knows. I don't ever want to talk about it. I don't want to think that he isn't like the rest of us. He's an Addison, right? He's... He's just a little unlucky.

"No, I don't wonder about him. Not like that..." Lyle sighs, reaching up and pressing his hand to his mouth pensively. Rose scoffs, glancing down at the ground and scuffing her foot over the crumbs from her bagel. "I just wonder how he's going to make it. The poor guy is-" He was about to pour his heart out when Rose cut him off.

"Oh, here you go again. Spamton this, Spamton that! Is he going to be okay? Is he going to make it? Let's help him! What is with your obsession with him?!" Pink asks, her lips starting to curl over her teeth in a snarl. Lyle was taken aback by her sudden outburst, a weight in his chest making it hard to speak. How could she say that? Ranger glanced over at Lyle, his brow furrowing with concern as he saw tears welling in the purple Addison's eyes. Ranger sucked in a breath, trying to hold his anger. Defensive mode, on.

"Rose, what has gotten into you? Why are you being such a b— So insufferable?" Ranger quickly caught himself, not wanting to get more angry than he already was. Rose folds her arms, letting out a huff as she pressed against the wall. Lyle was staring at her with watery eyes, like her words had wounded him. Even if she saw this, she continued to quarrel.

"Because we put an investment in someone who's doomed to fail. That money for his apartment? That was the petty cash we had tucked away for a rainy day, and now its wasted because he's going to be thrown out if he can't pay that bill!" Rose growled. Lyle bit back a retort, knowing she was right. Ranger on the other hand, wasn't about to leave the argument be.

"You don't know that! He could get far! Look at how hard he's trying, Rose! The moment he gets a good client, they're going to be calling their friends and telling them about his deals! He's charming! He's intelligent! He's got a fire that none of us do!" Ranger shouted, his usually calm demeanor melting away as he stalked closer to her. Rose's cheeks flushed a bright red, her hands clenching into fists as she got up in the orange Addison's face.